The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1887-04-07
The Lost Heirloom.

A singular story comes from an up
town flat going to prove the futility of
circumstantial evidence. A welI-known
gentleman has apartments in a desir-
able locality. He has means sufficient
to crafty luxurious tastes and Jog
along life's road comfortably. His
domestic habit is to partially dress in
the morning and open the windows of
his sleeping rooms for ventilation,
while he sips his Mocha and reads his
paper IN another apartment. Mean
while the attendant comes and makes
up his dressing room for the day.
One in whom he had the greatest
confidence recently left his service to
better her condition. Her departure
was so sudden that in the emergency
the vacancy was filed without ordi-
nary consideration as to the applicants 5
qualifications or recommendations Un-
fortunately, her personal appearance
was not calculated to impress her en-
ployer favorably, and he instinctively
distrusted her from the day she came.
The other morning he received a
most violent shock, which for a brief
period threatened grief to the new
chambermaid. While the gentleman
was indulging in his early siesta the
thought flashed across his mind that
he had left a diamond collar-button n
lying on his dressing-case, and that
the sinister-looking maid would be
tempted to appropriate it if in a pecula-
tive mood. just then he heard her
! enter the bedroom to do her morning 5
work. His first impulse was to rush in
| and snatch temptation from her view,
but on second thought he made up his
| mind to put her to the test. He said
to himself: IF her evil genius prompts
the girl to take the precious article,
which | prize as an heirloom, it will 90
| hard with her. Nobody else can have
stolen it but her, if it is missing, and
there will be no trouble recovering the
! property and proving her the thief by
! circumstantial evidence" The maid
seemed unusually slow in making up
! the room, and the time dragged heavily
| on her employers mind. All things
have an ending, and in due course the
| girl finished her work and went out,
signaling her departure by slamming Q
the door The gentleman waited few
minutes lest she should return, and
then, concluding that she would not,
he leaped to his feet and bolted for the
! bedroom.
| Was the diamond collar-button gone?
| No. But the sight that met the owner 5
| gaze brought him to Il sudden halt.
As he reached the threshold a frighten-
ed monkey skipped nimbly oil the
| dressing-case with the collar-button,
and sprang to the window-sill, evident
! ly the way by which the grimacing lit
| tie thief had entered. He gave sne
! glance at the human occupant of the
room, and disappeared down the side
! Of the building in the manner and with
| the speed peculiar to its kind. The
| gentleman pursued as far as he could
20, and called yainly to the monkey TO
! come back with the priceless button.
| The sparkling diamond apparently had
a fascination for the fOur-legged thief,
| and like a shrewd rObber, it caught his
| eye when he climbed into the room,
and he grabbed it without looking for
! other treasures on the premises.
! 1t turned out afterward that the
monkey was pet OF one of the neigh
bors. 1t was caught after a long chase.
but the diamond collar-buttOn has not
been found yet. There is a suspicion
that the thief swallowed it, or put il
| in pawn as sneaks are given to doing
when they want to get rid of their
| Doodle. Not even the pawn ticket can
be found, and the monkey stands a
good chance of being kidnapped and cut
wide open. The gentleman who mourns
! the loss of his heirloom has more faith
III human nature now than he had be-
fore this experience, and often says he
wishes the sinister-looking chamber
maid had taken the diamond when
| she had the chance.-NeU York Times.